Wheatley is an English surname which translates into Old English as "from the wheat meadow". Alternative spellings include Wheatly, Whatley, Whitley, Wheetley, and Wheatleigh. Whether this is an association of work, or of origin, is debatable. It is probable that the now fairly common surname and its derivatives originate from one who farms wheat. However, the surname "de Wheatley" ("of Wheatley") was in use from around the 12th century, and ascribed to some of those that came from the town of Wheatley in Oxfordshire, England, which was founded around 956 AD. It was also around the 12th century that the custom of adopting a father's name, or his profession, as a surname, became more prevalent.
Other theories ascribe to the belief that most of the ancestry comes from a John Wheatland, who was a very wealthy land owner in Surrey, England. The Wheatland name was then corrupted into Wheatley, Wheatleigh, and in some cases Wheatly.
People
Alan Wheatley, actor
Andrew Wheatley, Jamaican politician
Ben Wheatley, animator, director
Charlie Wheatley (1893–1982), American baseball player and inventor
Clare Wheatley (born 1971), British football player and administrator
Doug Wheatley, comic book artist
Dennis Wheatley, author
Francis Wheatley (disambiguation), several people
Glenn Wheatley (1948–2022), Australian musician, talent manager and tour promoter Geoffrey W. Wheatley Henry B. Wheatley, author Jane Wheatley Joan Wheatley, American singer Jo Wheatley, winner of The Great British Bake Off (series 2) Joe Wheatley, English footballer John Wheatley (disambiguation), several people Keith Wheatley (born 1946), English cricketer Kevin Arthur Wheatley, Australian soldier Leon F. Wheatley (1872–1944), New York politician Margaret J. Wheatley, management consultant Mark Wheatley, comic book artist Martin Wheatley, British financier Sir Mervyn Wheatley, English politician Colonel Moreton John Wheatley, CB, RE (1837–1916), Bailiff of The Royal Parks Natalio Wheatley Ossie Wheatley, English cricketer Paul Wheatley (disambiguation), several people Peter Jaffrey Wheatley, British chemist Phil Wheatley Phillis Wheatley, poet Rebecca Wheatley, actor Ron Wheatley, English footballer Thomas Wheatley (1821–1883), English mechanical engineer Tyrone Wheatley (born 1972), American football player Tyrone Wheatley Jr. (born 1997), American football player Willard Wheatley (1915–1997), Chief Minister of the British Virgin Islands William Wheatley (1816–1876), American actor William O. Wheatley Jr. (born c. 1944), American TV executive
Fictional characters
Nicky Wheatley in the British soap-opera Coronation Street
See also
List of Old English (Anglo-Saxon) surnames
Whateley (disambiguation) Whately (disambiguation) Whatley (disambiguation)